Last week we shared some news! The digital centre of government we've been talking about will be called the Government Digital Service. We have published its high level plans for the future: A blueprint for modern digital government.
The 'digital centre' is now the Government Digital Service (GDS)
We considered lots of ideas for new names, but in the end settled on using the name we already have. The "GDS" name is extremely well known, both nationally and internationally and it has an excellent reputation we can build upon.
Although the name is familiar, the organisation will change. Teams from GDS, the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), the Incubator for AI (i.AI) and colleagues from the Geospatial data team and the Responsible Technology Adoption Unit have merged together to come together as the Government Digital Service.
Wholesale reshaping of the public sector
A changed organisation brings changed plans and ambitions. They are much wider in scope, setting out an intention for comprehensive, compelling change across the public sector, not just central government.
The blueprint for modern digital government sets out all those ambitions in some detail. We encourage you to read it in full. There's a lot to take in, not just in what we want to achieve, but in how we intend to achieve it. In his foreword to the Blueprint, our Secretary of State Peter Kyle describes it as "a wholesale reshaping for the public sector."
The Blueprint was informed by the State of Digital Government Review, which highlighted some lasting, deep rooted systemic problems faced by digital public services. For example, we continue to struggle with recruiting and retaining the right skills and expertise in our digital teams. And sometimes organisations structures perpetuates the fragmented services people are expected to make sense of. These are just a few of the problems we need to work towards resolving in the newly formed Government Digital Service.
The Blueprint sets out the future we'd like to see. Modern digital government should still do all the things we've been doing for years: meeting user needs, iterative user-centred delivery, and digital services so good that people prefer to use them.
But it should also go much, much further than this. Government services should do more of the hard work on people’s behalf: they should interconnect and link up and they should move at the same pace as people's daily lives. People shouldn't have to work out which benefits it’s worth them applying for; or remember the steps they're supposed to follow when they want to start a new business. We should take a responsible, ambitious stance on using AI to help deliver public services: understanding its potential, and using it where it makes sense to do so.
In the Blueprint you'll see details of the future we're striving for: a six-point plan for helping to bring it about, and a set of next steps. We've been working on some very early concepts to visualise and articulate that future and we'll share some of that work soon.
Starting points
To succeed, the new GDS will need to expand its remit, acquire new mandates for reform, and gradually expand its scope over time into targeted support for local government and the NHS, for example.
We will introduce new products, including GOV.UK Wallet and GOV.UK App, and new digital public infrastructure including a National Data Library.
We will double down on some existing work, such as One Login, and work to build digital and data capability across government.
We will renew our efforts to reform how AI and digital services are funded, assured and procured.
We will need to develop a roadmap for the next few years alongside the second phase of the Spending Review, and collaborate with digital leaders and teams across the public sector to make sure it works for everyone.
What do you want to see from the reinvigorated GDS? We’d love to hear your ideas for modernising digital government.
13 comments
Comment by Louise Stone posted on
What's the thinking behind the necessity for a GOV.UK app?
Comment by GDS Team posted on
Hi Louise, we know that successful apps in the UK public sector and around the world have demonstrated people's appetite to interact with government via an app and about 60% of visits to GOV.UK are now made via a mobile. We believe by expanding GOV.UK into an app, we can offer users a more personalised, convenient and simpler way to access what they need, whilst bringing together a huge variety of material and harnessing the power of all government services from all parts of the UK.Secretary of State Peter Kyle briefly explained the rationale behind the development of the GOV.UK app, including a short demo which you may find useful to watch here: https://youtu.be/V5C5z45odYU?si=nAM99-OWo-pIVK6Y&t=756
Thanks
Comment by Sarah Pena posted on
Local authorities have been driving forward with digital innovation and AI solutions – and have evidenced informed insight - this can inform and accelerate national transformation.
A critical step I think – let’s map out the digital innovation already transforming local services. This will uncover potential scalable solutions for national adoption, preventing duplication of effort and accelerating delivery. Where needed, re-engineer and further develop for aligned platform, interoperability and scalability, rather than completely starting from scratch; even the stuff that’s not worked has valuable insights and, you’ll gain a great pipeline of ‘need’ aligned to demand and pressures on the ground, a place to start.
This is absolutely the time to strengthen Local-GDS partnership and build on the brilliant Local Gov collaboration happening incl. with iAI (who are just fantastic). We're ready to move at pace. (Wokingham Borough Council and more!)
Comment by Sarah Pena-WokinghamBC posted on
Local authorities have been driving forward with digital innovation and AI solutions - this can help inform and accelerate national transformation. We’re collaborating, sharing and building amazing relationships with i.AI, so, critical first step; let's map the digital innovation already transforming local services. This will uncover potential scalable solutions for national adoption, preventing costly duplication and accelerating delivery. Where needed, these can be re-engineered, rather than starting from scratch and not forgetting all the valuable insight and evidence from this work done (incl. the stuff that hasn't worked-huge value there too). It’s a pivotal moment to drive Local-GDS partnership - we're ready to move at pace 🙂
Comment by emilytroake posted on
Is media monitoring important?
Comment by Carol Belamarich posted on
I would like to see hospital test results linked to NHS app, rather than waiting for DR surgeries to receive emails / letters and then manually scanned or uploaded onto patient records (which can take months) I appreciate that some Dr surgeries allow their patients to see results on Patients Knows Best (another App) but many surgeries do not allow this access (probably due to cost of subscription) Patients like myself, have no confidence in the diagnosis or treatment of long term conditions by GP's as they do not have visibility of the bigger picture and quite often duplicate tests because they aren't aware of them being ordered on their system (which is a waste of money) and delays Care Plan for the patient.
Comment by Nick Thwaites posted on
A promising initiative. We certainly support any government planning that will free up and encourage businesses in both public and private sectors to embrace A.I responsibly.
It certainly is here to stay and subsequently a government that partners with business and regulates without strangling the creativity required is more than welcome.
Comment by Madi Hoskin posted on
What I would love to see is to continue the great collaboration with local government. We love thr AI incubator team here in North Yorkshire!
Please stay in touch as we have lots of scope for collaboration across social care and other council services and education too!
Comment by Ollie C posted on
The blueprint looks really promising and it's reassuring to see digital being taken more seriously as a driver of citizen user experience and government efficiency. I was particularly pleased to see a specific focus on API access to data, saving citizens time through task-oriented services, and to only ask for data once.
I hope government is also looking seriously at the Postal Address File (PAF) issue. A national data library must have that dataset is included, out of the clutches of the private sector where it really has no business being.
Comment by Ivan Sljivic posted on
Excellent idea for GOV.UK Wallet.
Can be developed for over 67 years old pensioners to be as AI assistant to pay a household bills and maybe more etc etc etc...
Comment by Steve O'Connor posted on
Loving all the updates on the renewed GDS, and so glad the name is staying!
Paragraph 8 especially.
"Government services should do more of the hard work on people’s behalf: they should interconnect and link up and they should move at the same pace as people's daily lives. People shouldn't have to work out which benefits it’s worth them applying for; or remember the steps they're supposed to follow when they want to start a new business."
Bang on the money. Too often government orgs are seen as the enemy because they appear when there are problems and blaming people for not knowing, but by doing more for people they can be much more proactive and be seen as supportive.
An important addition: there was a slide back toward using larger agencies for short term savings, causing long term negative effects. Bring agencies in based on merit and ethics!
Comment by Gwen posted on
Good to hear more about the changes and plans and great to hear about the consultation with teams and leaders across government to shape it to work for all. To answer the immediate question, something that we would benefit from in a re-invigorated GDS is to consider and cater equally for both public facing and internally facing services and applications. Internal facing services are often the backbone of the organisation and doing them well delivers many benefits. Secondly, as you look to expand remit and scope to take in new areas, it will be helpful to review, consolidate and streamline content and practice for that which is within existing scope/remit. Thanks again and always happy to help feed in to thinking based on lived experience.
Comment by Catherine Lubi posted on
Amazing. That’s great. I look forward to download the app.